[ great dads think alike? tonbo's not what you would call a culinary expert by any means, but simple fare has been enough for him to pick up here and there. he's been working on his baking these past few days, finding a surprising amount of comfort in beating the snot out of bread dough. ]

I should be done shortly. Please, get what you need.

A simple bread. I saw the recipe upon one of the bus magazines and thought to try it when I had the chance to.

[ how he remembered it in full we just don't know but it's fine probably. ]

Are pancakes easy to make...?

[ he's never tried before ]

[ hm, concerning ]

Mm, I would like that! The bread will need some time before I can bake it anyway.

That works for me.

[ it's fine, tonbo won't know the difference. ]

[ DAD DATES!!!! this already sounds like a disaster in the making let's do it ]

I see.... It reminds me a little of a dish from back home.

[ according to google funoyaki are the og japanese sweet stuffed pancake tonbo would have been around for ]

[ one date coming right up ]

It's a treat that became very popular when my wards were young. So perhaps it makes me more nostalgic for them than anything else.

[ this typo amuses me and therefore it's permanent ]

Mm. Due to circumstances, we were left to raise a child in the midst of what should have been a routine mission. We stayed long enough to watch both he and his own children grow.

[ bullies gently ]

Mm, it was certainly a challenge. But luckily between the six of us there and the matrons of the village, somehow we succeed.

[ xoxo. tonbo, on the other hand, laughs ]

It certainly does. I believe only Monoyoshi-kun knew how to take care of a child when we first arrived.

[ can you imagine how bullied these swords got by tiny grandmas ]

It all comes down to the protection of our human masters. No matter what form we take it is our one mission despite what else may be occurring at the time.

[ unless you're unlucky like certain other swords ]

We do what we can to help them aim true. To keep them safe. To remain as sharp as the day we were forged and fight with them as one.

[ Mmmmmm....... he tilts his head, trying to figure out how to explain this properly ]

It's less a physical action than remaining a steady presence by their side. Our awareness isn't quite the same as it is now with physical bodies. We may understand what is happening around us but there isn't much we can do to help unless physically wielded.

[ it really is ]

Mm, we are completely reliant on those who wield us. Recalling those battles and the 'what if-'s can certainly weigh heavily.

It's certainly a challenge.

Our master, they're trained in the arts of manifesting the souls of objects into a body of their own. A Saniwa if you will.

We, as the loyal weapons of key people in history, were deemed the best source of action against an enemy they could not fight head on. Given our time in the eras beforehand, we knew what to look out for the best and had the means to fight them.